Chapter 6

At dinnertime, we all assembled in the parlor to wait for supper to be announced. The men enjoyed a drink, while we women sat and conversed among ourselves. When dinner was ready, we paired up to walk into the dining room. Mr. Westervelt escorted Anne, since her fiancé had not arrived yet and she was the acting Mistress of the house. Before I knew it, Jeremy was holding out his arm for me to take. I smiled and put my arm through his, and we stepped into line behind his father and Anne. Everybody else paired up behind us. There were a few more girls than boys, so a couple of men had a woman on each arm. Mr. Westervelt led the way, and we walked into the dining room. Jeremy escorted me to a seat and held my chair while I arranged my skirts and sat down. Then throughout dinner he proved to be a most capable conversationalist. I learned all about his college experiences and his plans for the future. He would enter the family shipping business upon graduation in June. His was a bright future. The son of a wealthy man, dashing good looks, excellent education, and a vice-presidency just waiting for him to assume it. He had the world by the tail, and he knew it.

After dinner, we women withdrew to the library while the men remained behind to enjoy a cigar and brandy. I had never liked cigar smoke but I knew that I would have to pretend to like it if I were to fit in here. As everyone talked in the library, I went to the window to check the weather. I was happy to see that the snow had finally stopped falling, and the storm had abated. The wind was helping to fill in the walkways, but they would be cleared again tomorrow.

Around eight o'clock, the men came to the library to escort us to the ballroom. We had heard the musicians tuning up, and that had been our cue to get ready. Just as for dinner, we paired up to walk to the ballroom. Once again, Jeremy held his arm for me. And once again I smiled and put my arm through his, just before we stepped into line behind his father and Anne.

Once in the ballroom, we separated into small groups, determined mainly by age, or gender. I was extremely apprehensive about being asked to dance. I didn't know anything about the dances for this period. Fortunately, the selection of music being played was slow waltzes. I watched the first couples dance and decided that there were no special steps being used. At the start of the third dance, Jeremy approached me and asked me to dance. I knew that I couldn't refuse without a really good reason, so I smiled, swallowed hard, and took his arm as he led me to the floor. It was really strange to dance with a man. Despite my outward appearance, I still felt somewhat like a male. My small size added to my discomfort. I was only about 5 foot, 6 inches in the high heels. Jeremy stood at least 6 foot, 5 inches. I wondered what my friends were thinking as they saw me dancing with him.

Jeremy was such a good dancer that I began to relax as he led me around the floor. I was very surprised that I found it so easy to keep up with him. Of course I had been dancing since junior high school, but I had always done the leading before this, and only a small number of the dances had been slow. I told Jeremy that I had enjoyed the dance and that he was a wonderful dancer. He complimented me back by saying that I was extremely light on my feet and a delight to dance with. Rather than taking me back to my group, he had stood and talked to me on the dance floor. When the band began the next song, he put up his arms for me to take them, and we danced again. At the end of that song, he again seemed reluctant to take me back, but his friend Donald Blaisdell interrupted us.